Automatic control mechanism for safety-platforms.



F. HEDLEY 61 J. S. DOYLE. AUTOMATIC CONTROL MECHANISM FOR SAFETYPLATFORMS.

I APPLICATION FILED OCT. 14. I914. 1,149,761. Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0,, WASHINGTON. n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK HEDLEY, 0F YONKERS, AND JAMES S. DOYLE, 0F MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1915.

Application filed October 14, 1914. Serial No. 866,607.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FRANK HEDLEY and JAMnsS. DOYLE, both citizens of the United States, and residents,respectively, of Yonkers and Mount Vernon, in the county of Vestchester,State of New York, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Automatic Control Mechanism for Safety-Platforms, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to station or landing platforms having movableportions to be advanced toward a car or train standing opposite the sameto fill the gap between the side of the car and the edge of theplatform, and particularly to devices controlled by the length of thetrain for effecting the operation of the movable portion of theplatform.

The object of the invention is to provide an arrangement which is simpleand efii cient for effecting the operation of the movable platformsections according to the length of the train.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination,location and relative arrangement of parts, all as Will be more fullyhereinafter set forth as shown in the accompanying drawing, and finallyset forth in the appended claims.

The accompanying drawing discloses, in the single view thereof, adiagram illustration of an arrangement embodying the principles of ourinvention.

7 In application for patent executed of even date herewith Serial Number866,606 we have shown, described and claimed a system of movableplatform sections to be advanced and retracted toward and from a carortrain standing opposite a station platform or landing to fill up thegap or space between the side of the car or train and the adjacent edgeof the platform, and means for actuating and controlling the operationof said movable sections.

' The present invention relates to the same system or apparatus, and isdesigned to provide an auxiliary control dependent upon the length ofthe train.

In the drawing the car 1, track rails 2, third rail or conductor 3,platform or landing 4, movable section 5 of the platform control devices7, 6, for the advance and retracting movements of the movable section ofthe platform, switch devices 8, 9, in the circuit of control device 7,relay switches 10, 11,12, car side contact strips 13, movable contact14, motor 15, control device 16, therefor, contact member 17, shoe 18 onthe car, and contact member 19, at the approach end of the platform,noted application for automatic safety mechanism and their operation isthe same as described and claimed in said application. That is to say,as car or train approaches the platform circuit is completed through ashoe on the car from the conductor 3 to contact member 19, as the car orthe first car on the train passes by the member 19, through wire 20,contacts 21, to point 22, thence in parallel branches, one of whichincludes wire 23, the coils of relay 10, wire 24, contacts 25 to groundat 26, and the other from point 22, through wire 27, the coils of device16, wire 28, and 24 and on to ground at 26. The completion of thesecircuits causes relay 10 and device 16 to be operated. The operation ofrelay 10, closes contacts 29, 30, and opens contacts 21. The closing ofcontacts 29, closes circuit from a current source 31 through wire 32,contacts 29, wire 23, coils 10, wire 24 to ground at 26, and also fromcurrent source 31, through wire 32, contacts 29, wire 23, wire 27,device 16, and on to ground at 26, as before. The circuits grounded at26 are all broken when the device 7 which controls the retraction of themovable section 5 of the platform is actuated, thereby restoring theparts controlled by said circuits to initial position. When the train iscomposed of a given number of cars, say, for instance, ten cars, whenthe front car arrives in a predetermined position, a contact shoe 61 onthe car completes connection from the third rail or conductor 3 to anauxiliary contact member 62, and thence through a resistance 63, coils64 of a relay switch device, wire 65, wire 66, to movable contact 14, tocontact strip 13, which is now the second car of the train, to wire 36,the ground connection of which is controlled by contacts 37, which aremaintained open so long as the car propelling motor is operating by therelay 12, which is operated by the counter-electro-motive force of thecar propolling motor 38. Therefore this circuit is not completed unlessand until the car 1 comes to rest. The completion of this circuitenergizes the coils 64, thereby opening contacts 67, an closing contacts68. The

are the same as 1D. 0111 ZLbOVG closing of contacts 68, completes acircuit connection from auxiliary member 62, contacts 68, wire 40,resistance 41, wire 42, a supplemental station or platform switch, ifdesired, indicated in dotted lines at 55, contacts 30, wire 43, device 6which controls the advance of the platform section 5 toward the side ofthe car. Of course it will be understood that there will be as manyplatform sections 5, and control devices 6 as there are cars towardwhich the platform sections are to be advanced, and that the circuits ofthe several control devices 6 are in multiple as indicated in thedrawing. The circuit of each control device 6, continues from saiddevice through Wire 44, to a short insulated section of track rail 45,which is grounded to complete the circuit through the control deviceonly when a truck wheel of a car is resting on said insulated track railsection 45.

In practice, it will be understood, a movable platform section 5, andits control devices 6 and 7 and their circuit connections, as aboveexplained, are provided for each car of the train, and when we refer toa car we wish to include not only a single car but also, whereapplicable, a train of several cars. Thus it will be seen that in orderto complete the circuits which cause the va rious platform sections tobe advanced the following conditions must be satisfied: All the platformsections must be in retracted positions and the circuits of theircontrol devices 7 must be broken, otherwise the contacts 25 will be openthereby making it impossible to close the circuit of relay 10, and ifthe relay 10 is not energized then the contacts 30 in the circuits ofthe devices 6 which control the advancement of the platform sectionsremain open. Next, assuming that the platform sections are all fullyretracted, the circuit of relay 10 must be closed by the front car ofthe train from the conductor 3 or other source to the member 19, as thecar or train approaches the platform. Next the front car of the trainmust arrive in position to complete circuit connection from currentsource to member 62, otherwise there will be no current supply to thecircuits of the control devices 6. Next, the second car of the trainmust be at rest opposite the movable contact 14, otherwise the contactsin the circuit of coils 64, which are controlled by thecounter-electro-motive force of the car propellingmotor 38, will remainopen, and consequently the contacts 68 in the circuit of the contactdevices 6 will remain open. Finally the cars opposite the movableplatform sections to be moved must be in position for a truck wheelthereof to rest upon the corresponding insulated track rail section 45,otherwise the circuits of the control devices 6 will not be completed.

The contacts 67, controlled by the coil 64,

are in the circuit of coil 11, which controls contact 39 which are in acircuit connection 33 to conductor 17 to which circuit is closed fromcurrent source by contact devices on the car. The circuit of coil 11includes a high resistance 34 and the circuit connection 33, andconductor member 17. In shunt around the coil 11 is a circuit connection69, which is grounded through an insulated track rail section 70 and atruck wheel resting on said section. This track rail section is solocated with reference to the conductor member 62 that when a ten cartrain, for instance, is brought to a stop opposite the landing orplatform 4 with the front car of the train in position for the shoe 61thereon to contact with the conductor member 62, a truck wheel of thelast car of the train will rest upon track rail section 70, therebygrounding said section and the circuit connection 69. Under theseconditions it will be seen that no derangement is caused by the firstcar of the train passing by the conductor member 17, even though theshoe 61 should contact therewith as in that case no completed circuit isestablished. The second car 1 of the train, however, when brought torest completes circuit connection from current source through shoe 18 toconductor member 17, wire 33, resistance 34, shunt 69, track railsection 70 to ground through the truck wheels of the last car of the tencar train, and consequently nothing happens. In this case the circuitfrom resistance 34 is not completed through the coil 11, for the reasonthat at that instant car 1 comes to rest in the circuit of coil 64,which is in the circuit of coil 11. In case a train of eight cars or anyless number instead of ten, comes into the station, the front car of thetrain comes to stop in the position of car 1 shown in the drawing. Inthis case there is no car to complete the circuit of track rail section70, and consequently the circuit of coil 11, is completed from conductormember 17, wire 33, resistance 34 coil 11, contacts 67, wire 66, contact14, and on to ground when the counter-electromotive force relay 12closes the ground connection of said circuit by the motor 38 coming torest.

Thus it will be seen that we provide a system wherein an auxiliarycontrol dependent upon the length of the train is employed, and whichsystem does not interfere with the operation of other trains including afewer number of cars.

We have referred to switches 8 and 9. These switches control contacts inthe circuit of the devices 7 which control the means for retracting theadvanced platform section. The switch 8 is opened by the advancingmovement of its platform section, while switch 9 is opened when theplatform section is in completely retracted position.

aitimll 4 sections beyond the Also included in the circuit of devices 7,are contacts 52, which are closed only when the device 6 is out ofaction.

f desired a signaling system, a portion of the circuit connection ofwhich is indi cated at 56, may be interlinked with main and auxiliarycontrol systems above described. This however, is not claimed in thepresent application.

Having now set forth the objects and natures of our invention, and asystem embodying the same, what we claim as new and useful and of ourown invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a safetyplatform mechanism, the combination with stationary and movable platformsections, and automatic-devices dependent upon the number of cars in atrain for controlling the operation of the movable sections.

2. In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections and automatic devices dependent upon thenumber of cars in a train and'controlled bv the predetermined positionof individual cars in the train for controlling said devices.

3. In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, and automatic devices de pendent upon thenumber of cars in a train for controlling the advance of the movablesections toward the cars of the train.

4. In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, and automatic devices dependent upon thenumber of cars in a train and controlled by the positions of the firstand last cars of the train for controlling the advance of the movablesections toward the cars of the train.

5. In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, means for advancing said movable sectionstoward the cars of a train standing along side the platform, and devicescontrolled by the length of the train for controlling said advancingmeans.

6. In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, means for advancing said movable sectiontoward the cars of a train standing along side the platform, and devices controlled conjointly by the position of the first car of thetrain of predetermined length and that of the car opposite each movableplatform section, for controlling the advancing movement of saidsection, said devices being inoperative for trains of other lengths.

In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, devices for controlling the advancingmovement of said movable edge of the stationary platform, and meansdependent upon the arrest of a train of a predetermined numher of carsin predetermined position for controlling said devices.

8. In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, devices for controlling the advancingmovement of said movable sections, a circuit therefor including aswitch, and means controlled by the first car of a train containing apredetermined number of cars for closing said switch.

9. In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, devices for controlling the advancingmovement of said movable sections, a circuit therefor includingaswitchand means controlled conjointly by the first and second cars of a trainfor closing said switch.

10. Ina safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, devices for controlling the advancingmovementof said movable sections, a circuit therefor including a switch,and means controlled conjointly by the position of the first car and thearrest of the second car of a train for closing said switch.

11. In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, devices for controlling the advancingmovement of said movable sections, a circuit therefor, branchconnections from said circuit to separate sources of current supply.means controlled by the first car of a train containing a predeterminednumber of cars for controlling one of said branches, and means wherebywhen one branch circuit is completed the other is out of action.

1 In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, devices for controlling the advancingmovement of said movable sections, a circuit therefor, branch connections from said circuit to separate sources of current supply, a switchincluded in each of said branch circuits, a circuit to control eachswitch, one of said switch controlling circuits having a shunt and meansdependent upon the length of a train standing opposite the platform forcompleting the other of said switch control circuits and for groundingsaid shunt.

13. In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, devices for controlling the advancingmovement of said movable sections, a circuit therefor, branchconnections from said circuit to separate sources of cur rent supply, aswitch included in each of said branch circuits, a circuit to controleach switch, one of said switch controlling circuits having a shunt,means carried by the front car of a train containing a predeterminednumber of cars to connect one of said switch control circuits to currentsource, the last car of said train serving to ground said shunt.

1 1. In a safety platform mechanism, the combination with stationary andmovable platform sections, devices for controlling the advancingmovement of said movable sections, a circuit therefor, branchconnections from said circuit to separate sources of current supply, aswitch included in each of said branch circuits, a circuit to controleach switch, one of said switch controlling circuits having a shunt,means carried by the front car of a train containing a predeterminednumber of cars to connect one of said switch control circuits to currentsource, means effective only when the train is at rest to complete saidlast mentioned circuit, the last car of said train serving to groundsaid shunt.

15. In a safety platform mechanism, the

five cents each,

Washington, D. 0.

combination with stationary and movable platform sections, devices forcontrolling the advancing movement of said movable sections, a circuittherefor, branch connections from said circuit to separate sources ofcurrent supply, a switch included in each of said branch circuits, acircuit to control each switch, means effective only when a car is atrest in a predetermined position with reference to either switch forclosing the circuit of said switch, and means whereby when one switchcircuit is closed the other remains open.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence ofthe subscribing witnesses, on this 21st day of September A. D. 1914:.

FRANK HEDLEY. JAMES S. DOYLE.

Witnesses:

H. P. TI'rUs, WARREN MARCUS.

by addressing the Commissioner 0! Patents,

